Disposable body waste receptacle



Dec. 31, 1968 c sc 3,418,663

DISPOSABLE BODY WASTE RECEPTACLE Filed Feb. 25, 1966 ZMAZ ,J;4-/MAM United States Patent 3,418,663 DISPOSABLE BODY WASTE RECEPTACLE Nathaniel C. Scott, 5914 N. 52nd St., Omaha, Nebr. 68104 Filed Feb. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 530,186 7 Claims. (Cl. 4-113) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is disclosed a body waste receptacle having a bottom wall and upstanding inflatable generally toroidal sidewall. A perineal apron is secured to the sidewall at the front of the receptacle. A specimen collecting sac extends laterally from the bottom wall, under the sidewall to hang from the bed side. The sac may be twisted closed and severed to provide a container for the collected specimen.

The present invention relates to means for collecting the excreta of the bedridden and more particularly to a disposable body waste receptacle.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a body waste receptacle which can easily be emplaced, securely used, sanitarily destroyed, which is inexpensive and uniquely comfortable.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a receptacle of the type described which is inflatable to ensure close approximation of patient and receptacle which includes means for insuring secure entrapment of both liquid and solid waste While preventing the common occurrences of soiling of bed clothes during use, and which provides for the efficient collection of body waste samples.

These and further objects of the present invention will become more clearly apparent during the course of the following detailed discussion relating to the embodiment shown in the attached drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a body waste receptacle according to the present invention, inflated and ready for use by a supine patient having his head toward the bottom of the figure;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an expanded, fragmentary perspective view from above and centrally of the receptacle bottom, toward the specimen collecting sac; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Referring to the figures, the receptacle comprises a generally toroidal tube 12 of flexible inflatably polymerized plastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride copolymer, ABS, plasticized cellulose acetate; hot Water soluble flexible film such as geletin, starch or the like.

In the example shown, the overall diameter of the tube 12 is about inches and the diameter of a radial section of the tube 12, when inflated, about 4 inches, except at 14 where the tube 12 has decreased cross-sectional area for about 15-30 degrees of the circumference of the toroid. The tube 12 can be formed from straight tubing bent into ring-shape and heat welded, solvent Welded or otherwise joined, for instance at 16, to constitute the closed cell 18 shown.

Means such as a filler tube 20 sealingly joined at its inner end to the tube 12 and communicating with the cell 18 provides means whereby the cell 18 can be inflated. A common pinch-clamp 22, a built-in valve or similar means are provided to close off the tube 20 to retain the cell 18 inflated.

The interior surface of the tube 12 exterior is nearly circumferentially sealed, for instance by heat sealing or solvent welding, to a generally circular bottom sheet 24 of plastic material generally similar in composition to the tube 12. On closer inspection, for instance looking at FIGURES 2 and 4, it is apparent that the sheet 24 is not sealed to the tube in the region 26 which corresponds to the reduced area region of the tube 12 thereby defining a gap or mouth 28. An extension 30 of the circular portion of the sheet 24 extends outwardly from the mouth 28, is doubled upwardly and back upon itself at 32, 34. The end margin 36 of portion 34 is secured to the tube 12 interior surface at 26 and the side margins 38, 40 are secured to one another to define a fluid tight sac 42 having an open mouth at 28 opening into the main receptacle waste receiving region 44 defined in the space 46 radially inwardly of the tube 12 and above the bottom 24.

As shown best in FIGURE 1, the sac 42 is preferably reduced in horizontal width for a short distance adjacent and leading to its mouth 28 so as to define a neck 48.

Centered at about 90 degrees around the tube 12 from the sac 42 a sheet 50 of flexible plastic material, shown being of generally mushroom silhouette shape secured to the exterior of the tube 12 within the space 46 by its narrow margin 52 and extending upwardly and outwardly over the tube 12. In instances Where a secure seal can be made, the margin 52 can be interposed between the bottom sheet 24 and tube 12 interior surface at 54 and these three members all sealed to one another in one operation. The sheet 50, is, for instance, about 12 inches from 52 to its outer free extent 56.

In use, the device 10', in a deflated condition and folded in half and/ or half rolled approximately about the line 3-3 is placed beside a patient who is turned on one side. The patient is then turned to the other side and the device 10 unrolled and/or unfolded to a flat condition. The patient is then returned to a supine position centered on the receptacle 10, the bottom sheet 24 being next to the bed. In this position the valve tube 20 is at one side, of the patient, the sac is at the patients other side, preferably hanging over the side edge of the bed, and the sheet 50 is between the patients thighs and in position to be turned over the patients perineum.

Next the tube 12 is inflated using the valve tube 20 and the pinch clamp 22 to form a functional receptacle beneath the patient, centered on the patients anus. The perineal apron 50 is then drawn over the patient for tunneling urine into the space 46 and thus preventing soiling of the bed clothes.

After use the sheet 50 can be folded into the space 46 to act as a cover and the entire device removed from under the patient preferably from the side which the sac 42 extends thus diverging the contents within the receptacle at 46 through the mouth 28 and into the sac 42.

If no waste samples are needed, the entire device 10 and contents is then discarded, An advantage represented by constructing the device 10 of hot water soluble material is that the device 10 and its contents can simply be flushed down a conventional bed pan sterilizer such as is commonly found in hospitals.

If waste samples are desired for laboratory analysis, they are simply obtained by twisting the sac 42 closed at the neck 48, cutting the closed sac free from the device 10 near the mouth 28 and fastening the twisted neck with a clip, rubber band or the like.

It should now be apparent that the invention as disclosed herein efliciently accomplishes each of the objects set forth hereinbefore and that the embodiment shown and described clearly illustrates the inventions principles.

Because the embodiment shown and described can be considerably modified without departing from these principles or failing to accomplish these objects, the present invention should be understood as encompassing all such modifications as are within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A body waste receptacle comprises: means defining a bottom wall; means defining a peripheral, upstanding inflatable generally toroidal side wall secured at the lower periphery thereof to the bottom wall adjacent the outer periphery of the bottom wall thereby defining a collecting space within the side Wall and above the bottom wall; and a flexible perineal apron secured along one margin thereof to said sidewall at the front of said receptacle, said apron being sufficiently narrow, angularly of the receptacle, as to be drawable upward between the thighs of a supine patient and said apron being sufiiciently wide and long as to be drawable over the perineum of the patient, said apron being movable to a position wherein it is adapted to funnel urine from a supine patient centered on the receptacle into the collecting space and a second position wherein it defines a cover for said collecting space.

2. The body waste receptacle of claim 1 wherein said sidewall is defined by an inflatable ring of tubular, flexible plastic material.

3. The body waste receptacle of claim 2 wherein the bottom wall is comprised of flexible plastic material whereby said receptacle is rollable and foldable when uninfiated and disposable after single use.

4. The body waste receptacle of claim 3 wherein the flexible plastic material is hot water soluble thereby facilitating disposal of the entire receptacle after use in a conventional bed pan sterilizer or the like.

5. The body waste receptacle of claim 2 further comprising a waste specimen collecting sac having means defining a neck leading to a mouth; said mouth communicating with said collecting space and being constructed and arranged to receive the waste specimen from said collecting space when said bottom wall is tipped toward said mouth; the neck being twistable from an open condition to a closed condition to trap said specimen in said sac and said sac being easily severable from the remainder of said receptacle adjacent said mouth.

6. The body waste receptacle of claim 5 wherein the bottom wall comprises a generally circular sheet of flexible plastic material, circumferentially secured but for an arcuately short gap along one lateral side of said body waste receptacle to the interior surface of said tubular ring; means defining an axially narrow, radially long extension of said generally circular sheet at said gap; said extension doubled upwardly and back upon itself to define upper and lower portions, said extension having an end margin secured to the interior surface of said tubular ring in said gap; the side margins of the extension upper and lower portions being secured to one another to define said waste specimen collecting sac.

7. The body waste receptacle of claim 6 wherein said inflatable ring is of reduced radial cross-sectional area coincident with said gap to thereby ensure maintenance of said sac mouth in an open condition even when a patient is in place on said receptacle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 68,954 9/1867 Chaflee 4-113 195,521 9/1877 Merriman 4-113 435,058 8/1890 Freund 4-113 750,103 1/1904 Eggers 4-113 890,681 6/1908 Moore 4-112 959,379 5/1910 Otis 4-113 1,124,709 1/1915 Crissey 4-112 1,156,172 10/1915 Pointlexter 4-112 1,362,751 12/1920 Snyder 4-113 1,368,874 2/1921 Zender 4-112 1,756,238 4/1930 Chambers 4-113 1,918,083 7/1933 Case et a1. 4-113 2,093,168 9/1937 Hamer 4-243 2,246,205 6/1941 Gray 4-1 13 2,304,631 12/1942 Ensing 4-112 2,466,142 4/ 1949 Yost 4-113 3,061,840 11/ 1962 Presseisen 4-113 FOREIGN PATENTS 898,903 6/1962 Great Britain. 992,403 5/ 1965 Great Britain.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

D. MASSENBERG. Assistant Examiner. 

